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path to salvation. When death is before your eyes one if desires to elevate his soul has to leave all passions, worldly pleasures, do penance to control desires like anasana, unodari, vritsanskep, Rastyag for purity of food, kayaklesh, & steadiness for purifying his body, repentance, respect elders, help needy, spiritual study scriptures etc. for mind's purity & kayostsarg & meditation for souls purity vitrag feelings reciting navkar mantra willing to get happy death without tears boldly ready for the next journey from this perishable body. Forgive all & forget all with friendly feelings for all, knowing that soul & body are different. Soul has rented this body for some time which is over agreement is ended. So what is going to follow him should be worshipped, good deeds only going to follow soul nothing else.
Euthanasia is not on spiritual ground but is on ground of economic or unbearable suffering, pain, agony in incurable disease or old age or defamation in disease like AIDS. Both differ in motive & feelings for ending life. Similarity is only that goal in both or result in both conditions are end of life. Body is made up of cell unit.
In sallekhana if you end life by not providing food water you are killing millions of cells which are living, & each cell unit by combining forms organ & then system when you don't take food & water each cell gets srunken & dies. Is this not killing of living organism- a microorganism-one sensed Jivas. To elevate your soul you are killing millions of micro-organism in rented body which is not yours.
Sallekhana is religious thought Euthanasia is practical life.
Sallekhana is to break the cycle of rebirth & achieve liberation with pious motive. Euthanasia is to break pain agony suffering section 309 of Indian penal code says an attempt to commit suicide is an offence punishable by law. In I.P.C. also gives punishment for death occurred in case of accident but considering no motive behind it punishment is less. But every killing intentionally or unintentionally with motive or without motive every life taking action is punishable under law. Only punishment differs according of to gravity of crime, motive, negligence or intention behind it by weighing circumstances & guilt.
A law is rule of conduct for society & religion is also for good in
society.
Indian constitution guarantees right to life saying "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty".
In Tattyarth Sutra Pujyapada says, "A person who kills himself by means of poison, weapon swayed attachments, aversion, commits suicide. But he who practices holy death is free from desire anger and delusion hence not suicide.
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